Knowing what to look for in a life partner is one of life’s biggest challenges, but you got that figured out so go you! Now all you have to do is know what to look for in your wedding vendors so you can have a beautiful, stress free, wonderful wedding with your Mr. Right. Today I am sharing some things you should look for when picking your florist! I think when people initially think about their wedding flowers they think of price and how pretty they will be, but there are several other elements to consider. We encourage brides to shop around. It is a great idea to scope out some of your options to make sure that whoever you decide to go with you can be confident in your decision!

First and foremost, you need to do a little prioritizing. Obviously every bride would love to have the most beautiful bouquet, stay within their budget and want to make sure that the florist is knowledgeable and going to do a good job for them. Most of the time you do get what you pay for, and flowers are often more expensive than people anticipate. By knowing what is MOST important to you before you even start your search will make it a much easier process. With the internet, it does make it much easier to do a little research to scope our your options. All you have to do is spend a little time on google to find the florists in you area, hopefully be able to take a look through their portfolios, get a little information on pricing, and also see reviews. Based on that search, and any word of mouth recommendations from people you trust it is good to meet up with your top choices. From there the consultation process should give you the information you need to know to make your selection. Here are some things to look for during your meeting:

1. Price, of course. Straight up, flowers can be expensive. By sitting down for a consultations they can price out what it is you are looking for. You can compare the numbers from the different florists and see where they all come out at. Now I really do urge you to consider more than just the price, but I definitely understand that it is a big factor because weddings get expensive. What I will say is try to consider the VALUE of what you are getting, not just the price. More expensive florists SHOULD have more to offer and provide more value.
2. Design style. Between facebook, instagram and their website you should hopefully be able to get a feel for the kind of work they do. I know a lot of you get inspired by bouquets on pinterest (heck, we do too!) but don’t expect you can just take it to any florist and that they will be able to recreate it. Everyone is going to have their own design style and if you don’t like their own personal style… I think it is safe to say you might not like their version of your favourite bouquet.
3. Quality of product. For most flower shops this shouldn’t be a huge issue, you can go into their cooler and check out the flowers to see what kind of shape they are in, even better if you take some home and see how they do! For studio florists such as ourselves who don’t have flowers in stock ALL the time this may be a bit trickier to see for yourself, but if you were referred to them by a friend or family member and/or if they have really great reviews online I think that is a good indication that they provide quality products.
4. Creativity. Now I know you might be thinking this is the same as design style, but it is different. Being creative doesn’t just mean being able to tell what colours go together. It also takes creativity to design a bouquet that achieves the look you are going for even though your favourite flower is out of season for your wedding day. It takes creativity to think on their feet and find solutions if the supplier doesn’t send exactly what was expected for a wedding.It takes creativity to find a way to do something you fell in love with, but seemed impossible to do. It takes creativity to offer solutions. It takes creativity to take inspiration that a bride brings and think of something else you think she would LOVE that she probably has never heard/seen before.
5. Level of service. This covers a lot of things. Do they respond quickly and professionally to your emails? Are they accommodating/flexible with your requests. Are there options for delivery/set up. Make sure they can take care of ALL your needs.
6. Knowledge. While flowers may seem like an fun, easy job there is actually  more to it than most people think. Your florist should be able to recommend flowers to you that work with your colour scheme that are in season. They should know which flowers will bruise easily. Which are prone to wilt in the blazing heat of Alberta summers in July/August. They should know the ins and outs of both flowers and design.
7. Personality mesh. This is more than just being able to enjoy the conversation and share a few jokes with your florist. I think one of the biggest things is that you need to know that you and your florist get each other, that you are on the same page.  You need to know that they understand vision you are going for. If so, even if there are some surprises that arise (as they sometimes do!) you can trust that they will be able to make adjustments as they need to and still achieve your vision.

By taking these things into consideration you should be able to select a florist that is the right fit for you! We really do want all of our brides to feel absolutely certain that they made the right decision because it is important that they trust us to take the best care of them. I hope that you find we are the best choice for you!